In Army of the Dead, a Zombie Outbreak Becomes an Excuse for a Public Health Power Grab
In Zack Snyder's latest, zombies are a public health issue, much like COVID-19.
Science Fiction
WandaVision
The show perfectly encapsulates the feelings of grief, confusion, and isolation born of the pandemic.
AMC, Amazon Offer Up Television Adaptations of Two Hot Books
Too Close and The Underground Railroad provide wildly different experiences.
Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction
For sci fi fans who enjoy getting lost in internet rabbit holes
The Expanse
People are people and politics is politics, no matter how far you get from planet Earth.
Debris Represents the Crumbling Leftovers of X-Files Rip-offs
Oh look, two mismatched government agents investigating alien technology.
Neutron Gun Reloaded
Gerry Reith's raw, paranoid, apocalyptic fables were shot through with distrust for just about every institution around.
Space, the Final Smuggling Frontier
In a glimpse of a gloriously rule-breaking future, contraband has boldly gone where more is sure to follow.
Hollywood Still Can't Figure Out How to Adapt The Stand
If you’re looking for a coherent, compelling version of Stephen King’s pandemic opus, keep on walking.
Reviews: Love and Monsters and J.R. 'Bob' Dobbs and the Church of the SubGenius
A good teens-and-creatures movie, and a deep dive into a glorious fake cult
A Song for a New Day
The Nebula Award winner is set in a near-future where public gatherings have been radically limited by a global pandemic and threats of violence.
Upload
Consumer culture continues into the afterlife in Amazon's sci-fi/mystery/romance/workplace comedy mashup.
The Invisible Dystopia
Friday A/V Club: When the post-apocalyptic world looks a lot like the pre-apocalyptic world
The Vast of Night Is the First Must-Watch Movie of the Coronavirus Era
Amazon Prime Video's latest feature is a smartly made indie sci-fi film from an incredibly promising first-time director.
Upload Builds an Amusing, Ethically Fraught World Around Virtual Heaven
Transcending consciousness is presented as a consumer good in a sharp new Amazon Prime series.
Vin Diesel's Bloodshot Is the Perfect Movie For the New Direct-to-Streaming Era
This occasionally competent sci-fi action film is best enjoyed from the comfort of a couch.
The Plot Against America Is Not About Trump, Even If Comparisons Are Inevitable
HBO's adaptation of Philip Roth's novel is much more interesting when viewed on its own merits.
Sticking It to the Man
A new anthology explores how the counterculture of the '60s and '70s mixed with the mainstream.
Future Tense Fiction
"A good science fiction story can help re-sensitize us" to the peril and promise of the new.
Transgender Writer Forced to Retract Trans-Themed Science Fiction Story
Isabel Fall is canceled. It's the science fiction world's loss.
Borderlands 3
In Borderlands 3, you take on a murderous cult worshiping a cruel, vain deity who demands that her minions attack others, sacrifice themselves, and constantly sing her praises.
The Rise of Skywalker Shows It's Time for J.J. Abrams To Be Impeached From Star Wars
The final film in the Disney-era trilogy is a pointless, abysmal letdown that won't fully satisfy anyone.
Choose Your Own Impeachment Adventure: Rand Paul, Justin Amash, or Philip K. Dick?
A range of libertarian-world approaches to the impending trial of Donald Trump
The Other '80s Blade Runner Movie
Friday A/V Club: Ridley Scott wasn't the only director who filmed a Blade Runner in the Reagan years.
The Peace-Loving Military Robots' Plot
Friday A/V Club: That time NBC broadcast a radical Philip K. Dick fable to a 1950s audience
TSA Admits Coke Bottles Shaped Like Fictional Weapons Aren't a Threat, Will Allow Them on Planes
It took the TSA multiple weeks to complete its review and conclude that Coke bottles are not a tool of terrorism.
Neal Stephenson Wants To Tell Big Stories
An economist and a science fiction author discuss cryogenics, mythology, philanthropy, fragmentation, and simulation.
TSA Bans Coke Bottles That Resemble Fictional Star Wars Explosives
"It could create concern that it’s the real thing," officials say.
Donald Trump's Response to Hong Kong Protests Leaves Much To Be Desired
Plus: Farewell to the author whose work inspired Ross Ulbricht to create Silk Road, Trump's toy tax gets delayed until Christmas, and more....
San Diego Comic-Con and the Tensions of Market-Induced Growth
In Comic-Cons, as in great nations, there's room for plenty more to live the dream.
Trump's Mexican Standoff and the New Illiberal Right
When Tucker Carlson and Elizabeth Warren agree on trade, regulation, and social media, it's time to rethink a few things.
If We Told You Neal Stephenson Invented Bitcoin, Would You Be Surprised?
In his new book, Fall, the author of Snow Crash, Cryptonomicon, and The Diamond Age, looks to the digital afterlife, and beyond.
Gene Wolfe, R.I.P.
The science fiction writer appealed to traditionalists with tales of far-flung futures.
Netflix's Love, Death and Robots Is a Sci-Fi Demo Reel For the Untapped Potential of Animation
An anthology series about sad salesmen, space marines, super-intelligent yogurt, and the national debt
Captain Marvel Is a Message Movie Without a Message
Marvel's first female-fronted superhero film is a woke superhero fantasy scared to take any risks.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Is the Next Step in Superhero Movie Evolution
A joyous, energetic Spider-Man remix shows what superhero movies can be.
Syfy's Adaptation of George R.R. Martin's Nightflyers Mangles a Ghost Story in Space
The show's derivative mimickry of time-skipping ruins the tension.
How Star Trek Explains Donald Trump
Kirk, Spock, and Khan have much to teach us about contemporary politics.